TORONTO, November 5, 2025 – Shotgun Wedding chases her first graded stakes score in Saturday’s $150,000 Bessarabian (G3) at Woodbine. The seven-furlong main track feature for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and upward, has drawn 14 starters, including Shotgun Wedding, and two also-eligibles. The chestnut arrives at her fourth stakes engagement and first graded assignment off her first stakes victory, a three-quarter length triumph in the Ontario Damsel, a 1 1/16-mile main track affair for 3-year-old fillies, on October 11. It was the sixth consecutive podium performance by the filly, who sports a 3-3-3 record from 12 starts. “I just think – from doing interviews and talking to others – she was a little underappreciated in that spot,” said trainer Jamie Begg, who co-owns (Begg Racing) the daughter of Mendelssohn out of the Speightstown mare Reluctant Bride with Windways Farm and Upland Flats Racing. “I knew she would relish two turns and run a good race. We wheeled her back into that race on short rest. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked out well. I think this filly is getting better and better, and we’re very happy with her.” Begg also handed out high marks to jockey Keveh Nicholls for the winning ride. “What I really appreciated about that ride was that it wasn’t anything overly complicated. He took everything as it came to him. There was no waiting for an opportunity – it was about taking the one that came. She was travelling well and Keveh got her outside where she likes to be.” Shotgun Wedding’s recent run of success includes a half-length win at 6 ½ furlongs on the Woodbine main track on September 7 and a second, a half-length back of the winner, over one mile on the Toronto oval inner turf on September 21. Shotgun Wedding and Keveh Nicholls. Michael Burns Photography “I am a big fan of the cutback with the horses,” offered Begg. “My horses seem to run well in cutbacks. In the Bessarabian, there is going to be some speed and with the way she has been running, I think she can come with a nice run, to use the tactical speed she has to sit within striking distance, make her move and have something left in the tank cutting back from the mile and a sixteenth to seven furlongs.” Bred in Kentucky by Deron Pearson and Patrick Biacone LLC, Shotgun Wedding finished third in last year’s Catch a Glimpse Stakes and was fourth in this year’s Ruling Angel. Begg, who has already set career-best numbers across the board, continues to marvel at the consistency shown by his sophomore charge. “She is a gamer. I have been around some nice fillies, and she has that same attitude as a lot of the nice ones. She is always focused, she’s sound and she’s consistent. Every day, she thinks it is game day. We really appreciate her around the barn.” Shotgun Wedding covered four furlongs in :48.60 over the Woodbine main track on November 1. “She came out the last race well,” said Begg. “Going off how she has been performing, we decided to skip a work and just give her one work ahead of this race. It was a very good one and we’re happy with it. With how much she has run, we aren’t concerned about fitness. We just want to keep her right.” Dante Martin is the groom. Girl of My Dreams, trained by Anna Meah for Payson Stud, Inc., will make her second straight start at Woodbine. The 4-year-old daughter of Kantharos out of the Uncle Mo mare Naples Dream was third in the six-furlong Ontario Fashion Stakes (G3) last time out, on October 11. “I thought it was a fantastic race,” said Meah. “You can go back and look at it from the point of view of what you should have done or could have done, but I thought she ran a very good race. She broke well – she is a filly that needs to be on the lead, which is where she is most comfortable – and then she has that nice cruising speed and confidence. She gave it a huge effort, and she wasn’t beaten that far. And when you add everything that came with it – shipping up there and handling a lot of new stuff – we were thrilled with how she ran. “Actually, the original plan was to go into the sale in November, but we have had so much fun with her, and she has done so well this year, we decided, ‘Let’s do it again.’ So, we are going to give her another year. Hopefully, we can get a graded stakes win with her.” Girl of My Dreams and Jayda Meah. Courtesy of Anna Meah Fashioning a mark of 4-5-3 ($276,454) from 25 starts, the bay, bred in Kentucky by Brookstone Farm and Lee Mauberret, broke her maiden in her sixth race, a wire-to-wire victory at 6 ½ furlongs over the Santa Anita turf as the 5-2 choice in the 10-horse field. The well-traveled filly’s racetrack passport also includes starts at Del Mar, Horseshoe Indianapolis, Churchill Downs, Keeneland, Turfway Park and Presque Isle Downs. “Obviously, that [adaptability] is not something you can teach a horse. You can give them the opportunity to get more acclimated to travelling, but she handles it, is comfortable with it and she settles in really well. She is not one to miss a meal when she travels. I think she truly loves her job and enjoys going to the races.” Girl of My Dreams, who covered three furlongs in :36.40 over the dirt at The Thoroughbred Center on November 3, was a $60,000 purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale. “We’re looking forward to this race,” said Meah. “She loves the synthetic. We don’t mind shipping to Woodbine – we think that is a great place for her. And she is very relaxed on race day. Overall, she has a very confident personality. You don’t have to worry about her getting too amped up walking over on race day.” Girl of My Dreams could tackle two turns at some point. “In certain races, she seems to open up again, that last sixteenth of a mile, and has a little more left,” noted Meah. “We’ve contemplated stretching out a little further at some point just because if you get the lead going two turns, she could be dangerous on the front. Obviously, it would just have to be a race that would set up for her.” Gabriel Del Cid is the groom. Trainer Roger Attfield and Kinghaven Farms teamed to win the first two editions of the Bessarabian, in 1985 with Summer Mood and one year later with Playlist. The race is named after Canada’s champion older female of 1986, a multiple stakes winning daughter of Vice Regent trained by Michael Doyle and owned by Eaton Hall Farm. She finished her racing career with an 18-5-4 mark from 37 starts. The wagering menu for the race includes Rolling Double, Exacta, 0.20 Trifecta, .20 Superfecta, 0.20 Pick 3 (Races 9-10-11) and $1 Swinger. Field for the Grade 3 Bessarabian – Race 9 Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer 1 – Love Cervere – Sahin Civaci – Miguel Clement 2 – Les Reys (FR) – Rafael Hernandez – Miguel Clement 3 – Serene Seraph (IRE) – Xarel Forde – Bill Mott 4 – Tricky Temper – Eswan Flores – Jeremiah Englehart 5 – Uphill Dance – Jose Campos – Rachel Halden 6 – Mo Fox Givin – Pietro Moran – Mark Casse 7 – Bolt Enoree – Da-Sean Gaskin – Steven Chircop 8 – Pondering – Declan Cannon – Brendan Walsh 9 – A Little Frisky – Fraser Aebly – Josie Carroll 10 – Shotgun Wedding – Keveh Nicholls – Jamie Begg 11 – Golden Canary – Ryan Munger – Mark Casse 12 – Caitlinhergrtness – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Kevin Attard 13 – Stormcast (S) – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse 14 – Girl of My Dreams – Joseph Bealmear – Anna Meah (AE)15 – Dolce Sopresa – Daisuke Fukumoto – Josie Carroll (AE)16 – Ellen Jay – Aurelien Lemaitre – Brad Cox -30- Chris Lomon, Woodbine Share This:Share
